Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

"In relation to the individual Christian...the Spirit's ministry is fivefold:
-- He enlightens, giving understanding of the gospel, so that "the spiritual man" has "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor.2:14-16; 2 Cor.3:14-17).
-- He indwells, as the seal and guarantee that henceforth the Christian belongs to God (Rom.8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19).
-- He transforms, producing in the believer the ethical fruit of Christlikeness (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal.5:22-24): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and...prayerfulness and hope (Rom.8:26-27; 15:13).
-- He assures, witnessing to the believer's adoption by God, to his or her eternal acceptance and future inhertance (Rom.8:15-25, 31-39, which is a transript of the Spirit's witness; Gal.4:6).
-- And he equips the believer for service among God's people and in the world (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31)."

-- David Wells, "God the Evangelist" p.34 (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987)

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